Hoops (album)

Hoops is the second studio album by Australian alternative rock group, The Rubens, which was released on 7 August 2015 and reached number 2 on the ARIA Albums Chart. It was produced by David Kahne and mixed by Michael Brauer, except for the title track, "Hoops", which was produced and mixed by Eric J.[1]

Hoops
Studio album by
The Rubens
Released7 August 2015 (2015-08-07)
Genre
Length35:04
LabelIvy League Records
ProducerDavid Kahne, Eric J Dubowsky
The Rubens chronology
The Rubens
(2012)		 Hoops
(2015)		 Lo La Ru
(2018)
Singles from Hoops
  1. "Hallelujah"
    Released: 19 May 2015
  2. "Hoops"
    Released: 24 July 2015
  3. "Hold Me Back"
    Released: 19 February 2016

At the J Awards of 2015, the album was nominated for Australian Album of the Year.[2]

Reception

Jessica Thomas of Renowned for Sound gave the album 4.5 out of 5, saying; "A major theme for this record is negative feelings that are inspired by draining relationships and these songs give Hoops an edge, they're dealing with the nitty gritty in such an appealing way. Tracks like "Hoops", "Switchblade", "Bitter End", "Cut Me Loose", "Battles" and "Hold Me Back" all deal with some quite serious subjects, with all of them stemming back to being hurt by someone (or something) that you once loved." She added "Overall The Rubens Hoops is a finely crafted vessel that takes us on a journey through the often-dark tunnel of life and keeps you dancing the whole way until you reach the light."[3]

Cara Oliveri of The Music gave the album 4 out of 5, saying; "After two years on the road, the [band] have bottled their boozy late nights and one-night stand tales into a soul-sodden rock album. Crammed with gritty guitars, foot-stomping rhythms and Sam Margin's signature bluesy vocals that ooze country town swag, The Rubens have pulled off an epic round two of rock'n'roll tunes." she concluded his review with "Full of rock belters and woozy nuggets, The Rubens' second album won't disappoint." [4]

Jacob Robinson of Daily Review gave the album 2.5 out of 5, saying; "Album opener and lead single "Hallelujah" has a stomping beat and a shout-along chorus that creates some dynamics. "Cut Me Loose" manages to mesh soulful organ with some crunchy guitars in a pleasing manner. The best of the bunch is the title track, which at attempts to challenge the group’s song writing abilities and shows they can extend themselves. Other than that, it's a pretty same-same host of dull, mid-tempo rockers. They could probably get away with it if any of the songs had a really cracking hook to stick in your brain like "My Gun" or "Lay it Down" did on their first album — but it does not."[5]

Track listing

All tracks written by Scott Baldwin, Elliott Margin, Izaac Margin, Sam Margin and William Zeglis.

No.TitleLength
1."Hallelujah"2:56
2."The Night Is on My Side"3:16
3."Hoops"2:38
4."Switchblade"3:49
5."Bitter End"3:04
6."Cut Me Loose"3:00
7."Things About to Change"2:47
8."Battles"3:39
9."Hold Me Back"2:54
10."The Original"3:49
11."The Fool"3:13

Charts

Hoops debuted and peaked at number 2 in Australia[6] behind Dr. Dre's Compton. It sold 4,759 copies its first week.[7]

Chart (2015) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[8] 2

Year-end charts
Chart (2015) Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[9] 70
Australian Artist Albums (ARIA) 27

Release history
Region Date Format Edition(s) Label Catalogue
Australia 7 August 2015[10][11]
Standard Ivy League Records IVY259
United Kingdom 19 February 2016[12]
Standard Warner Bros.
United States 4 March 2016[13]
Standard Warner Bros.
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References
  1. http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/musicnews/s4394893.htm
  2. "The J Award 2015". Triple J. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  3. "Album Review: The Rubens Hoops". renownedforsound.com. 16 August 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  4. "Album Review: The Rubens "Hoops" by Cara Oliveri". themusic.com.au. 30 July 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  5. "The Rubens "Hoops" Album review". dailyreview.com.au. 6 August 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  6. Hung, Steffen. "The Rubens Discography". Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 22 November 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  7. "The Rubens Hoops Would Have Been Number One If Not For Dr Dre". www.noise11.com. 16 August 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  8. "Australiancharts.com – The Rubens – Hoops". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  9. "ARIA Top 100 Albums 2015". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  10. "Hoops by The Rubens". iTunes Store (Australia). Apple. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  11. "Hoops by The Rubens – CD". JBHiFi. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  12. "Hoops by The Rubens (UK)". amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  13. "Hoops by The Rubens (US)". amazon.com. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
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